Road Safety Blog

What to Know About Buying Tyres in South Africa

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The only connection your moving car has with this ground at any time are four small, postcard-sized rubber patches touching the road surface. When you realise that, you’ll make sure that your car tyres will always stay in a good condition. This attitude is crucial for your safety and that of your passengers. So, read on and find out more about tyres.1

Are Your Car’s Tyres Defective?

According to the South African Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC), drivers need to rely on a sound set of tyres for smooth travelling, effective braking, and correct handling of bad road surfaces. That’s why defective tyres are so dangerous – they cannot fulfil such functions. 1

What You Should Know about Poor Tyres

Defective tyres affect your car’s performance by increasing fuel consumption, braking distance, and the risk of skidding. Studies have shown that poor tyres have been responsible for about 66% of fatal accidents – a sobering fact. 1

The Local Tyre Industry Faces sustained Competition

About 200 companies import tyres of different brands in South Africa, which unfortunately may affect local tyre production in the local manufacturing industry. Another issue is that some imported tyres, especially from the Far East, do not comply with South African regulations. This can compromise the safety of many motorists. 1

Better Control on Tyre Quality

SATMC recommended that the South African tyre industry should enforce regulations regarding tyres. In this way, the industry will promote greater safety for South African motorists. 1

Global Regulations

Even though many countries have strict regulations regarding tyre manufacture, it’s still the responsibility of South African manufacturers and importers to enforce compliance to South African specifications. 1

What’s the Size of the Local Industry?

SATMC mentioned that, of the 11 million tyres sold in 2015, South Africa imported five million and exported two million. The local tyre manufacturing industry has invested R4 billion over a few years in improving tyre production plants. This has resulted in improved production processes with increased output and stricter safety compliance. 1

What Are South Africa’s Tyre Regulations?

Manufactured tyres undergo an approval process to force manufacturers to comply with local safety regulations. For instance, the Compulsory Specification VC8056 ECE Regulation 30 applies to all new pneumatic tyres for passenger cars and trailers. Similarly, Compulsory Specification VC8059 ECE Regulation 54 covers all new pneumatic tyres of all commercial vehicles and trailers. All tyres must have the mark ‘E’ on them to ensure compliance to these specifications. 1

What Is Homologation?

The tyre industry uses this word which means to ‘approve officially’. The tyre industry introduced homologation in 1996 as a yardstick to reduce the risk of non-compliance by tyre manufacturers. All tyres must homologate via the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS). 1

Disclaimer

This article describes what you should know about buying tyres in South Africa. 1

The law and the car insurance industry consider a car to be non-roadworthy if its tyre treads are illegal. This could jeopardise an accident claim. If you need more information, contact us at PMD and experience our world-class client service. We’ll present you with our affordable car insurance products with their unique benefits, such as fixed premiums* and reducing excess*. T’s and C’s apply.

You wish to buy a financial services product? First contact a certified financial advisor for professional advice.

Source:

1https://www.news24.com/life/motoring/news/guides_and_lists/5-things-you-should-know-about-tyres-in-sa-20170707

This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.

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